Aug. 19 (UPI) — A deep-sea exploration company said it has new data that reveals the likely location of lost aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart’s missing plane and will launch a fourth expedition to find it.
The new research from Nauticos offers the “most precise information yet” about Earhart’s and navigator Fred Noonan’s final position before their disappearance on July 2, 1937.
After restoration and analysis of an identical radio system used by Earhart and Noonan, Nauticos has determined their approximate location at 8 a.m. on the day they vanished, a press release said. This discovery significantly refines the search area near Howland Island, the intended next stop of Earhart’s flight.
“Our latest radio communication analysis is a major leap forward in solving one of the most enduring mysteries in aviation history,” said Dave Jourdan, president of Nauticos, in a statement. “We have narrowed the search area dramatically, and this new expedition presents our best chance yet to finally locate Amelia Earhart’s plane.”
Earhart went missing in 1937 during her attempt to be the first female pilot to circumnavigate the earth. Her plane went missing while she was over the Pacific Ocean, flying from New Guinea to Howland Island. The next day, a flight to Howland Island in a Navy seaplane by intended rescuers was grounded because of a rare snow and sleet storm over the Pacific.
Ships and planes continued their searches to no avail until she was declared dead in 1939. At the time of her death declaration, she would have been 41. The mystery of her disappearance, how it happened and where the remains of the people and the plane may be, has endured.
Early firsts in aviation
Earhart, born in Atchison, Kan., was already famous worldwide and a hero to women and girls everywhere. In 1932, she was the first woman pilot to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean, boosting her to worldwide celebrity. Her husband, George Palmer Putnam, said he was extremely proud of her efforts, “Who wouldn’t be?” he said. For her transatlantic trip, she was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Also in 1932, she was the first woman to fly solo across the United States, flying 19 hours from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J.
Earhart in 1935 was the first person to fly solo between Hawaii and the mainland. She became a visiting faculty member at Purdue University as an advisor in aeronautical engineering and counselor to female students.
She also worked for women’s causes. She was a member of the National Woman’s Party and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment. She was an aviation editor at Cosmopolitan magazine, and she was active in Zonta International, a group that works to advance the status of women. She helped establish the Ninety-Nines, an organization of women pilots.
Earhart was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1968 and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1973.
Though there was still no evidence of her crash found, people continued to have theories.
In 1981, pilot and author Elgin Long suggested in a story in the Quincy Patriot Ledger that Earhart got lost in bad weather and ran out of fuel. Long said he believed her plane went down in 16,800 feet of water 35 miles off Howland Island. But later searches still revealed no evidence.
New search effort
Nauticos, in its next expedition, is partnering with Amelia Rose Earhart, a journalist and pilot who flew around the world in a single-engine plane in 2014 to honor her namesake. Amelia Rose will join the expedition as a crew member and spokesperson.
Nauticos’ previous expeditions were in 2002, 2006 and 2017. It has covered about 1,860 square miles. Combined with the Waitt Institute’s expedition in 2009, a total of 3,610 square miles have been surveyed. That’s about the size of Connecticut.
Nauticos will document the expedition through interactive social media updates, live streams, educational content, and exclusive interviews, inviting audiences worldwide to experience each stage of the quest. The team is now raising funds to support the trip.
Inspiration continues
Howland Island is a coral atoll and nature preserve almost halfway between Hawaii and Australia. It’s managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There is a monument there, called Earhart’s Light, in her honor.
In 2022, a statue of Earhart was installed in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall to represent Kansas, along with former President Dwight Eisenhower.
“Amelia Earhart has landed in Washington, D.C.,” Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., said during a ceremony unveiling the sculpture.
At the installation, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke, praising Earhart’s accomplishments.
“When girls and boys come to the Capitol and see Amelia, they will visit here and set their sights higher, knowing, too, that they can reach for the sky,” she said. “And when they see this statue, when it’s quiet here in the Capitol, they will hear the sound of wings.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.